Walking the boardwalk at Myrtle Beach, SC. All photography is ours.
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South Carolina with Kids
If you’re planning South Carolina with kids, do Charleston and add a day at Congaree National Park. That’s the trip we took when we realized we’d explored almost nothing of the South outside Florida, and it was a good choice. Charleston is walking city with a harbor, has a fort you reach by ferry, and an aircraft carrier you can spend hours on.
Congaree is two hours inland and it’s one of the least visited national parks in the country. We booked a guided canoe tour and spent half a day paddling under the tallest hardwoods in the East. While you can explore the boardwalks in the park, the real magic is out on the water, so book a guide.
Destination guide · Updated November 2026 · Last visited March 2021
Best months
April–May, Oct
National parks
1 + 6 NPS sites
Fly into
CHS · CAE · GSP · MYR
How long
3 days in Charleston, 5 with Congaree
Book ahead
Fort Sumter ferry · Congaree firefly lottery · Kiawah and Hilton Head summers
Our South Carolina trip was Charleston with a day at Congaree. We strolled the city and took the ferry to Fort Sumter. On the USS Yorktown, the crew mess recipe for 10,000 chocolate chip cookies was a favorite. The dungeon ghost tour was just spooky enough for the kids. At McLeod Plantation we saw the intact slave houses and learned about Gullah Geechee culture. Congaree was a half day on the water with a guide, then lunch in Columbia.
If you have some extra time, head over to Myrtle Beach like we did for some seafood and a walk along the beach.
Your South Carolina guide
Enjoy exploring South Carolina with kids!
Keep scrolling for the essentials, three road trips, and where to stay.
Essential South Carolina
Why we love South Carolina
We think you’ll love it too.
South Carolina is where we’d send a family that wants a city full of southern charm and a canoe trip through a forest of champion trees in the same week. Charleston, Fort Sumter, the Yorktown, and Congaree are all right there, and Myrtle Beach, however touristy, is not too far away to spend some family time at the beach. Take a look at our other essential South Carolina picks below.
Congaree National Park Guide
We booked a guided canoe tour and spent half a day on the water under the big trees. Not many people know about Congaree, which makes it feel like a secret.
Charleston Guide
Charleston was our first real trip into the South, and every tour we booked was excellent. Stroll the city, eat well, and take the ferry out to Fort Sumter.
Fort Sumter Guide
A ferry from downtown takes you to the island where the Civil War started. Book ahead in spring and summer.
The USS Yorktown Guide
We’d toured the USS Midway in San Diego and knew the Yorktown would be a slam dunk, and it was. We spent hours on the flight deck and below.
And the rest we’d cross the state for
The dungeon ghost tour Guide
Charleston’s Provost Dungeon tour isn’t scary, just spooky enough for younger kids to enjoy. Our family had a lot of fun.
McLeod Plantation Guide
McLeod Plantation has intact slave houses, the mansion, and an honest tour of Gullah Geechee culture and life before the Civil War. It’s a meaningful stop with older kids.
Charles Pinckney National Historic Site Guide
This was the home and farm of a signer of the Constitution, in Mount Pleasant on the way to the beach. It’s quick and free.
Columbia Guide
Columbia is twenty minutes from Congaree, and we drove in for lunch after our morning on the water. Riverbanks Zoo is the other reason to stop.
Myrtle Beach AftT Visit
The Grand Strand has sixty miles of beach, the SkyWheel, and Ripley’s Aquarium. It’s a fun add-on from Charleston if you have the time.
Hilton Head & Kiawah
Hilton Head and Kiawah have wide, flat beaches and bike paths everywhere. The resorts here are built for families.
Folly Beach & Isle of Palms
Folly Beach and Isle of Palms are Charleston’s beaches, about twenty minutes from downtown. They’re an easy afternoon when the kids need some sand time.
Hunting Island State Park
Hunting Island near Beaufort has a historic lighthouse and a boneyard beach of dead trees. It’s a beach day with a little adventure built in.
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Find your next adventure in South Carolina
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Visiting Congaree National Park, SC
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Routes
Three South Carolina road trip itineraries
One state gives you three very different trips. Pick Charleston with a Congaree day, the Grand Strand, or the Upstate. See all the best stops on a map.
Home base
Charleston
Fly into CHS. Our Charleston guide covers the ferry, the Yorktown, the tours, and the food. Plan on three nights.
Then head to
Congaree National Park
It’s two hours northwest. We booked a guided canoe tour and paddled half a day. Here’s how it went.
Finish
Columbia
It’s twenty minutes from the park. Have lunch downtown, then visit Riverbanks Zoo if there’s time before the drive home.
Home base
Myrtle Beach
Fly into MYR. Book an oceanfront hotel, then do the SkyWheel, Broadway at the Beach, and Ripley’s Aquarium.
Then head to
Brookgreen Gardens
It’s thirty minutes south, with sculpture gardens, a zoo, and a creek cruise.
Add on
Charleston
Drive two hours south to finish in the city.
Start
Greenville
Fly into GSP. See Falls Park and the children’s museum, and ride a bike on the Swamp Rabbit Trail.
Then head to
Kings Mountain & Cowpens
Drive an hour east for two Revolutionary War battlefields, two badges, and a picnic.
Finish
Table Rock State Park
It’s an hour northwest of Greenville. Swim in the lake and hike the short trails.
When to go
Time your visits with the weather and the region
We did Charleston and Congaree in the spring, which is the window we’d recommend. South Carolina is hot and humid from June through September, mild the rest of the year, and rarely truly cold. Congaree’s mosquito meter is real in summer.
Swipe the chart sideways to see the full year.
April – May
This is when we went. Charleston’s gardens bloom, Congaree’s mosquitoes haven’t arrived, and the beaches are warm enough by May. Spring weekends in Charleston book early.
June – September
It’s hot, humid, and stormy in the afternoons. This is beach season on the Grand Strand and Hilton Head. Skip Congaree in high summer.
October – November
The humidity breaks, the ocean is still warm through October, and Congaree is at its best.
December – March
It’s mild in Charleston, cool inland, and the cheapest time of year. Congaree floods in winter, which is its own show from the boardwalk.
Where to stay
Pick a good base to start your South Carolina adventure
South Carolina is easier when you pick one region. Here’s where we’ve stayed and where we’d stay next.
City trips
Charleston
Stay on the peninsula and walk to everything. It’s pricey. Mount Pleasant across the bridge has the chains at half the rate with easy points bookings and it’s on the way to the Yorktown.
- Where we stayed in Charleston
- Downtown for walking to the market and the ferry
- Mount Pleasant for points and the beaches
Beach trips
Hilton Head, Kiawah & Myrtle Beach
Hilton Head and Kiawah run on resorts and weekly rentals. Myrtle Beach has thousands of hotel rooms and is the easiest to book on points.
- Hilton Head resorts for bikes and calm water
- Myrtle Beach oceanfront on points
- Kiawah if the budget allows
Park trips
Columbia
There’s no lodging at Congaree. Columbia is twenty minutes away with plenty of chain hotels, and we drove in for lunch after our canoe trip.
- Congaree from Columbia
- Downtown Columbia near the zoo
- Camp at Longleaf if you want to hear the owls
Good to know
Questions families ask us about South Carolina
Yes, it is. We booked a guided canoe tour and spent half a day paddling under trees you won’t see anywhere else in the East. If you’d rather walk, the boardwalk loop is stroller-friendly and the park is almost never crowded. Go in spring or fall. The mosquito meter at the visitor center is not a joke in summer. Our guide covers the canoe tour, the trails, and camping.
Yes, it is. The ferry to Fort Sumter, the Yorktown, the carriage rides, and the pineapple fountain at Waterfront Park cover the little ones. The dungeon ghost tour was just spooky enough for ours without any trouble. Older kids will like the plantation tours and the history. Our Charleston guide has all of it.
Take the ferry from Liberty Square downtown or Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, next to the Yorktown. The trip is about two hours including an hour on the island. Book online ahead. Spring and summer boats sell out.
CHS for Charleston and the Lowcountry, CAE for Congaree, MYR for Myrtle Beach, GSP for the Upstate. Charlotte (CLT) is an American hub two hours from Columbia and often the cheapest option.
You don’t need one for downtown Charleston, which is a walking city with a free shuttle. For Congaree, the Yorktown, and the beaches, you do.
The synchronous fireflies peak for about two weeks in late May or early June. The park runs a lottery for the viewing nights, usually opening in April. Outside those nights, the park is quiet and free.
Map
Essential South Carolina, mapped
Keep exploring
Where to go next
North Carolina with Kids
North Carolina has the Smokies and the Outer Banks, straight up I-77 or I-95.
Florida with Kids
Florida has the theme parks and three national parks, a day’s drive south.
